Summer 2020 Handbag Trends

Summer appears to be the most favored and valued time of the year for fashion lovers. Here are the must-follow trends for the 2020 season.

No matter how great your outfit and other accessories look together, the perfect finishing touch comes from a good bag. A handbag is an essential addition to your look which cannot be left out. For this reason, there are various different types of handbags for any fashion taste and style; all which complement different kinds of occasions. 

Nonetheless, one must be aware of the types of handbags that are currently in season, and differentiate them from those worn in other divisions of the year. As of now, vibrant colors, unique prints and patterns, pearls, and daisies are a few of the must-follow trends for the 2020 summer season when it comes to handbag fashion. 

• Daisies everywhere 

Summer florals are common in fashion and have been ever since the ‘90s. However, one particular flower appears to be taking over this year: the daisy. One of the most common types of handbags here is the transparent clutch, which is decorated with daises and fine gold details. Without a doubt, this is the perfect bag for a summer dinner with your best girl friends. 

We are also seeing a lot of the margarita, also known as the marguerite daisy flower – the undisputed protagonist – which is often combined with a beautiful sky blue tulle. This is a colorful and lovely summery option to have with you on hot summer afternoons. 

• Vibrant colors 

Summer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons. Apart from its warmth, it is also known for its colorfulness and endless fun. It provides the perfect atmosphere to travel and participate in outdoor activities. Because of this, summer fashion is characterized by its vibrant colors, which in turn makes eye-catching genuine leather handbags a must in your wardrobe. 

Here, we are noticing a substantial rise in multicolored and two-toned bags. For example, the mix of orange and fuchsia is a season favorite that will make you catch all eyes for its undeniable originality. In addition to that, golden and elegant handbags are taking over the hearts – and wardrobes – of fashion lovers around the word. This option is incredibly useful as it goes with virtually everything in your closet. It also helps in highlighting your brown summer glow; making it an ideal option for dining out or attending events.

• Printed with ribbons 

From their color to their shape, these kinds of bags are appropriate and rather prevalent during the summer season. The combination of colors seems ideal for a summer bag, and the bows that adorn them complement your flowy summer looks. Check out these types of bags and get them to match your chic afternoon looks! 

• White, the color of summer 

If there is one color that plays a leading role, it is white. It is a classic that goes notably well with all summer colors, and it also accentuates your glowing tanned skin due to its lightness. Take full advantage of your seasonally sun-kissed skin by wearing the white handbag. It is so beautiful that you won’t want to stop wearing it all summer! 

• Mini-bags 

Mini-bags: a high trend for the 2020 summer season. These types of bags have turned into star accessories; becoming one of the most outstanding models on the scene. Whether made of leather, satin, jute, raffia, velvet, or even beads, these items will be among the most desired and envied. They are perfect for those who want to leave the house with just enough. 

The key is to stay light this summer. These beautiful miniature bags keep you from overloading your hands and shoulders with extra weight. Already working in an office affects this part of our anatomy, and from time to time it needs some respite. 

Although we are experiencing the effects of an unprecedented summer due to the Coronavirus, there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel. People and companies have started to reinvent themselves by unleashing their creativity and innovative thinking, which has led to big shifts in fashion. 

This has consequently given rise to various trends for all fashion and handbag lovers this 2020 summer season. Stay stylish with these handbag statements, but above all, stay safe. 

Love and flow, 

Nantív

• Text taken from Nantív

Cleaning Techniques and Safety Practices for Everyday Bags

In times of Coronavirus, there is a greater need and urgency to keep your belongings clean and bacteria-free, particularly frequent-use items such as handbags. To do this, you have to adopt appropriate measures and good housekeeping practices.

Although countries have already started to lift up Coronavirus restrictions, it’s still of utmost importance to follow the various measures recommended by health authorities. 

In fact, there is a growing need to continue embracing and following these different practices in an effort to keep moving forward. Reinforce handwashing with soap and water, use mouth guards and antibacterial gel, but most importantly, ensure to properly sanitize and disinfect your belongings including your leather handbags to avoid the spread of the Coronavirus. 

Handbags are frequent-use items that are constantly exposed to the outside world. It is common for them to touch and be placed on dirty floors and surfaces. It is therefore necessary to implement hygiene protocols to ensure that these kinds of accessories are kept clean, especially since they store similar frequent-use items such as keys, sunglasses, cell phones, cosmetics, wallets, and personal documents.

 A recent study by The New England Journal of Medicine indicated that the Coronavirus is able to remain on everyday surfaces and materials for hours. Their findings revealed that the virus can even stay suspended in the air for about half an hour. 

Keeping in mind that the virus can survive on various different handbag materials, we recommend adopting the following procedure to reduce the possibility of contamination and disease:

1. Don’t leave it on the floor 

Whether at home or not, it is important to place your bag on a surface other than the floor. Not only will this prevent it from getting dirty, but it will also reduce the risk of contamination. When on the floor, it could easily come into contact with harmful bacteria given that the Coronavirus also travels on footwear, which many use to walk around the house. This is why you must create a “shoes off” habit at home, and in turn prevent the spread of Coronavirus. 

2. Never save food 

If you normally store food and snacks in your leather tote bag, watch out! This accessory by itself already has bacteria inside given that it is constantly touched by our hands. We continuously put in and take out our frequent-use belongings – like our keys and sunglasses – and such actions increase the chances of contamination. 

It is best to have a lunch box and follow a cleaning protocol using a 70% hydroalcoholic gel. Although this will effectively disinfect the hands, it is always better to actually wash them with soap and water, and do so for at least 20 seconds. 

3. Disinfect hand creams, perfumes, lipsticks, cell phones, keys, etc. 

These are all items that constantly move inside our bag, so they need to be sanitized on a regular basis. They also accumulate bacteria as we frequently handle them. 

Here, it is recommended to clean the items with a damp cloth and place them in a sealed bag so that you can safely travel with them in case you need to leave your home. Remember to disinfect your hands before and after use to avoid the risk of contamination. 

4. Choose an antibacterial lining 

Nowadays, companies have found ways to innovate their customer product offerings, and now many have options that integrate antibacterial lining. This is made under a special fabric treatment that reduces the proliferation of common bacteria present in coins and bills by 99.8%, which are otherwise capable of producing respiratory, skin, and gastrointestinal diseases. 

5. Protect the handle 

To avoid touching your bag’s handle, which is usually contaminated with bacteria, try wrapping a scarf around it. Have fun with it by changing it up every time you step out to one that is clean and matches your clothing. This way, you can stay chic and in style while protecting yourself from contamination. 

Taking the necessary steps to protect yourself and others from any sort of contagion is the most important thing to do at this point in time. Follow these recommendations and feel safe using your favorite handbags for women with care and caution. 

Love and flow, 

Nantív

• Text taken from Nantív

How to Deep Clean Your Handbag Items

We all need to enhance cleaning practices in the time of Coronavirus. Here is a guide for managing and preventing the virus from surviving on your handbag and its contents.

Women’s bags are large accessories that are often placed on unclean floors and surfaces, and exposed to outsiders in high traffic areas whether in the street, office, supermarket, or café. Now more than ever, there is a need to raise awareness and enhance cleaning practices. This article provides the perfect guide for managing in the time of Coronavirus, and preventing it from surviving on your handbag and its contents. 

First and foremost, it is highly recommended to use a relatively small handbag to avoid the carrying of unnecessary items. Doing so will also help keep the interior from becoming the perfect breeding ground for bacteria, especially since this is a space that is constantly touched by our hands when getting ahold of our belongings. It’s important to keep your handbag as clean and empty as possible to prevent contamination. 

Below you will find different tips for cleaning and disinfecting your handbag contents:

The Handbag 

By now, it has become clear that the Coronavirus is capable of surviving on different objects for hours, and even days. Follow these expert guidelines to properly disinfect and clean clothes, jewelry, bags, and shoes. 

Note that the measures established to adequately disinfect bags, backpacks, and other similar objects are the same as for the cleaning and disinfecting of clothes. Gloves are necessary if the process is done by hand. 

• Wash at high temperatures. It is recommended to use more than 60ºC. 

• Use more detergent than usual. 

• Do not wash bags at the same time as clothes. The object we wish to wash is irrelevant, the focus is to avoid any excess. 

• In the case of suede, fur, and genuine leather handbags, it is recommended to use a wipe moistened with disinfectant solution in a repeated back and forth motion.

Jewelry 

Rings, bracelets, and accessories worn close to the hand can be a hiding place for germs. These often get the most exposure to the Coronavirus, and thus hygiene recommendations tend to be greater. 

• In the case of rings, it is appropriate to wash and clean them immediately after an outing. You must also make sure to wash your hands afterwards in efforts to maintain hand hygiene. 

• Each night, you should make a habit of cleaning all used jewelry to combat the effects of the potential exposure to the virus. 

• Jewelry Disinfectant Liquid is also effective. 

However, in times like this, the best and safest thing to do is to refrain from using jewelry as it could make it difficult to thoroughly wash your hands and remove germs. 

Mobile Phone 

Mobile phone surfaces are a peculiar ‘high-risk’ surface which often comes in contact with the face and mouth. We spend a lot of our time using our phones during the day, yet we tend to forget to disinfect them to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In fact, research has shown that the average mobile phone is 7x dirtier than your toilet. Your device should be cleaned every day and every time you go out. 

This is how to clean your phone: It should be turned off, disconnected from the charger, and removed from its cover. The optimum way to clean it requires using disinfectant wipes with alcohol, but the homemade alternative is to use either a cloth or a tissue with alcohol solution: mix 60% water and 40% alcohol. 

Keys 

Leave non-essential items at home in a box near the door, and wash your hands afterwards. Disinfect your keys by spraying 70 proof alcohol on them. Another option (although it takes longer and requires the keys to be taken off the keyring) is to put them in a saucepan with boiling water and a spoonful of salt and bicarbonate for six minutes. Follow up by rinsing the keys with water and allowing them to dry off. This technique is virus-free and also effective in removing traces of rust from them. 

Headphones 

There are other ways infection can be transmitted, such as on headphones and earphones. These are used close to key virus entry points into the body: the eyes, mouth, and nose. Aside from carrying dirt and bacteria, earbuds can also increase ear wax build-up and cause further infections.

It is highly recommended to clean headphones with a soapy or disinfectant wipe after an outing to avoid contamination. The rubber parts can usually be removed and cleaned with soap and water. Use alcohol-soaked cotton swabs or toothpicks to carefully remove built-up dirt in cracks and crevices. You can get rid of dirt behind the headphone grill by using a hairdryer with a cool setting. Another tip is to tape the grid and remove it again. 

Wallet 

Finally, let’s not forget about cleaning our wallets properly and on a regular basis. After being outside, you may take it out of your pocket or out of your handbag and leave it on top of your counter untouched for a few hours. It may be necessary to place a paper towel below the item to avoid contamination on the countertop surface. 

It is difficult to generalize the cleaning of wallets as it all depends on the material in which it’s made of. Some might require a more specialized service, but generally speaking, a few wipes moistened with alcohol, or with a cloth, water and soap is enough to clean and disinfect it. 

These are some measures that will become a habit as we all accustom to the new normal. The Coronavirus will change the world as we once knew it, so we ought to prepare for its lasting impact on our lives. Remember to keep your personal items, accessories, and designer leather handbags as clean as possible, and stay safe. 

Love and flow, 

Nantív

• Text taken from Nantív

5 Ways to Carry Your Handbag and What it Says About You

How you carry your handbag tells the world more than you think.

Actress Mae West once said, "I speak two languages, Body and English." 

The rest of us speak 'Body,' too. Most of us just don't realize it. In fact, body language, experts believe, is 55 percent of communication. Your posture, movements, expressions, hand gestures, and countless other physical subtleties communicate all kinds of information that others unconsciously pick up on. 

This, of course, makes perfect sense considering that we didn't even have language for most of human history. Our bodies had to do most of the talking. 

Today, how you wear a shoulder bag or carry your clutch is a new kind of vocabulary in that ancient communication form. 

But, what are you saying? 

Here's our semi-scientific interpretation of what your handbag says about you: 

• On The Arm 

Carrying your bag on your arm shows personality and status. As psychologist Kathlyn Hendricks told Glamour Magazine, in 2015, "You're basically de-operationalizing one of your arms in order to carry something of that size, telling everyone you don't need to use both arms as you move around in the world. This harkens back to the times when women's packages were carried for them." 

This carrying-style also puts your bag and its logo front and center where others can admire, and envy, it.

• The Two-Hand Grab 

This carrying-style typically indicates shyness or an uneasiness with your surroundings. Your handbag acts like a little shield between you and the world.

"I see young women do this in public situations where they don't know people or in stress situations, and if they are generally shy," body language expert, Patti Wood, told Reader’s Digest in 2017. 

• Hands-Free 

Shoulder bags, like leather satchel crossbodies, typically, are the choice of younger women. But women of any age, who value practicality above all else, are also fans. It says, 'I have an active lifestyle and I’m prepared for anything.' 

India Ford, body language expert and founder of TalkBodyLanguage, told Harper's Bazaar in 2017, "A woman who doesn't use her bag to hide the front of her body is usually very confident as it ensures the solar plexus is clear of any objects. When you wear your bag over your shoulder, the message you're sending is that you don't feel the need to hide behind anything. ...It's also very practical as the bag is out of your way and leaves both hands free to get on with the task at hand." 

• The Firm Grip 

If you're one to keep a death-grip on your bag (no matter how you carry it), you're probably a cautious type. You can still hear your mother's words echoing in your head as she tells you to be on alert out in the big, scary world. You're careful, but you're also not an easy target. You're conscious of your surroundings and probably conscientious, too. 

• The Multi-Bagger 

You have more than one place to go (work, school, gym, kiddie activities) and lots of stuff to carry (files, books, clothes, gear, meals, makeup). Some women might take along their largest handbag to haul everything they need. Not you. You’re bringing multiples. 

If you’re a frazzled new mom, we get it. If you’re not, frazzled is probably just your default mode. That’s what your look is saying, anyway. A woman who carries a lot of handbags looks the opposite of elegant. She looks overwhelmed. 

Regardless of your bag-carrying style, remember that true style is the expression of spirit through fashion and movement. So embrace who you are: quirks, flaws, strengths, and all. 

At Nantív, we design with that kind of authenticity in mind. Our current handbag collection features simple, timeless designs that accommodate many lifestyles and carrying styles. 

Check out our online store to see the full line. Meanwhile, stay strong and carry on! 

Love & Flow, 

Nantív

• Text taken from Nantív

Slow Fashion: Welcome to the Revolution!

You have an important role to play in the struggle for a new fashion era.

The global fashion industry generates $2.5 trillion a year. Sadly, much of that volume comes from 'fast fashion'—the practice of selling cheap, poorly-made clothes and accessories that quickly end up in landfills. 

Such disposability has been a defining characteristic of commerce since the mid-1900's. That's when mass-production became more efficient and businesses realized that people were more likely to spend a small amount of money repeatedly for a product, rather than a large sum up front. And while this practice put products in the hands of millions of people who previously couldn't afford them, it also diminished the quality of goods and created a crisis of waste and pollution. 

In the fashion industry, this trend sped up even more over the last twenty years as technology shrunk production times and outsourcing to Asia dramatically lowered costs. 

Times, however, are changing. 

More and more companies are now being built on an ethos of sustainability and ethical practices, not just numbers. Consumers, meanwhile, are increasingly making choices based on those values. 

Welcome to the fashion revolution! 

Slow Fashion 

In 2007 Kate Fletcher, a professor of sustainability, design, and fashion at the London College of Fashion, coined the term 'Slow Fashion' in an article for the online publication Ecologist. Inspired by the 'Slow Food' movement, which links pleasure and food with awareness and responsibility, she envisioned a new, similar movement within the fashion industry. 

Fletcher argued that short production times and cheap clothes are only made possible by the exploitation of labor and natural resources. She proposed designing "a different system for ourselves that makes money while respecting the rights of workers and the environment, and produces beautiful and conscientious garments." 

Of course, as in the 'Slow Food' movement, consumers have a role to play to help foster the kind of sustainable, slow fashion that Fletcher advocates.

Here are a few ways to do your part: 

1. Avoid emotional and boredom shopping. We're already producing and consuming beyond the planet's capacity to renew itself. Before making any purchase, ask yourself these questions: Do I really need to buy it? Will it perish in my closet after two uses? Would it be better to rent? The less you buy, the less you'll waste. 

2. Read labels to see where your clothes come from. Were they manufactured under decent conditions (check for online reports)? Are they made of natural or synthetic fabrics? Does the manufacturer certify they're free of toxins? Look for quality garments that will last longer and were made by brands that value fair treatment of people, animals, and the planet. 

3. Take care of your garments and accessories. Mend and customize them to extend their useful life. Labor, water, energy, and raw materials were used to create them. Don't squander those resources by sending your items to a landfill. 

4. If you do get rid of clothes, do it responsibly. If they're in good condition, donate, exchange, or sell them. If they're deteriorated, try to repurpose them or send them to a recycler. Use Earth 911's Recycling Locator to find a facility near you. 

5. Buy from sustainable small fashion companies. While big brands have a responsibility to reduce their environmental impact, small brands typically have the flexibility to implement new processes quickly. Consequently, it's smaller, independent fashion companies that often spearhead changes the wider industry eventually adopts. Buying leather goods, like handbags for women, from these small companies is a great way to help advance ‘slow fashion' practices. 

At Nantív, we strive to create handbags that surpass traditional brands in quality and innovation. Each one is handcrafted by the best Italian artisans, using the softest leather and highest quality hardware, and is designed to last a lifetime. 

Most importantly, our bags are born of our passion and principles for sustainability. That means working only with top-rated tanneries that humanely raise cattle and minimize waste and water consumption. 

We're moving forward by moving slow. 

Love & Flow, 

Nantív

• Text taken from Nantív